Mich. women address DNC attendees

Denver — Women in Democratic politics took center stage at the Pepsi Center last night, with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., giving the night’s prime-time speech and two well known Michigan Democrats — Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Gov. Jennifer Granholm — making appearances.

Granholm

Clinton

On the 88th anniversary of women’s suffrage, the convention paid homage to Clinton’s achievements with a video collage prior to her speech. Clinton gained more than 18 million primary votes and stayed in the race longer than any female candidate in history.

She drew waves of applause as she pledged support to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., whom she battled for the Democratic nomination until early June.

“I am here tonight as a proud mother, as a proud democrat, as a proud senator from New York, a proud American and a proud supporter of Barack Obama,” Clinton told the crowd. “Whether you voted for me or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose.”

Despite speculation prior to the convention about whether Clinton’s speech would cause division within the party, delegates said the feeling was largely one of unity behind Obama.

Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, a delegate who originally pledged to Clinton but now plans to vote for Obama, said she was happy to see Clinton address the delegates.

“Some people, they need this catharsis,” she said. “She certainly earned the right to be a key player … her speech is healthy for us as a party.”

Edna Bell, chairwoman of Michigan Women for Obama, said most women voters who supported Clinton have now committed to Obama.

Bell and about 30 other woman from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties met in early August to draft a document outlining important women’s issues and expressing the group’s commitment to Obama. Many of the women who conceived the document were former Clinton supporters.

“She’s a very strong advocate for women and she’s saying to those people who supported her that we need to come together around this one candidate,” she said. “If he wins, we all win.”

After addressing the Michigan delegation about the state’s potential for alternative energy production and investment in green industries during a breakfast speech, Granholm moderated a town hall discussion on energy Tuesday evening at the Pepsi Center.

Granholm directed voters’ questions about the future of energy in America to a panel of experts, entrepreneurs and blue-collar workers.

“We’re going to be talking about something that’s on everyone’s mind,” she said. “How do we transition to clean, homegrown energy so that we can beat this dependence on foreign oil?”

Stabenow also briefly took the stage with several other woman lawmakers from around the country to celebrate women in politics.